When fully mature, Sarcosuchus is believed to have been as long as a city bus (11.2–12.2 meters or 37–40 ft) and weighed up to 8 tonnes (8.75 tons).[1] The largest living crocodilian, the saltwater crocodile, is less than two-thirds of that length (6.3 meters or 20.6 ft is the longest confirmed individual) and a small fraction of the weight (1,200 kg, or 1.3 tons).The very largest Sarcosuchus is believed to have been the oldest. Osteoderm growth rings taken from an 80% grown individual (based on comparison to largest individual found) suggest that Sarcosuchus kept growing throughout its entire 50–60 year average life span (Sereno et al., 2001). Modern crocodiles grow at a rapid rate, reaching their adult size in about a decade, then growing more slowly afterwards.

Its skull alone was as big as a human adult (1.78 m, or 5 ft 10 inches). The upper jaw overlapped the lower jaw, creating an overbite. The jaws were relatively narrow (especially in juveniles). The snout comprises about 75% of the skull's length (Sereno et al., 2001).

The huge jaw contained 132 thick teeth (Larsson said they were like "railroad spikes"[citation needed]). The teeth were conical, adapted for grabbing and holding; instead of narrow, adapted for slashing (like the teeth of some land-dwelling carnivores), and more like that of true crocodilians. Sarcosuchus could probably exert a force of 80 kN (18,000 lbf) with its jaw, making it very unlikely that prey could escape.